When a passenger rides on a vehicle such as a jet ski in tandem with an operator of the vehicle, the passenger must stabilize him- or herself in some fashion. This can be accomplished by the passenger wrapping his or her arms around the operator. However, the resulting embrace is uncomfortable and greatly restricts the freedom of the operator. Accordingly, alternative proposals have been presented.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,564,616 shows a belt to be worn by an operator of a motorcycle, toboggan, snowmobile or the like. A fabric or leather strap is stitched to the belt and forms a pair of loops which can be grasped by a passenger.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,902 likewise illustrates a belt for the operator of a motorcycle. The passenger holds onto two rigid handles which are permanently secured to the belt.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,411,222 discloses a pair of grip devices which are attached to a belt. Each of the grip devices is molded as a single unit from plastic and includes a rectangular plate provided with a handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,429,419 teaches a motorcycle vest. Two leather or nylon straps to be grasped by a passenger are fixed to the vest.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,334 shows a harness for use by the operator of a motorcycle or ATV. A passenger can hold onto either of two pairs of straps which are mounted on the harness at different distances from the front center thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,719 describes a safety belt for a motorcycle. The belt is designed to carry a pair of handle members each of which consists of a planar support, and a U-shaped handle to be gripped by a passenger.
None of the above devices can be comfortably grasped by a passenger for an extended length of time. This problem is overcome, at least to some extent, by U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,013 which discloses a belt provided with a pair of foamed elastomeric or rubbery spool-shaped handles. The belt carries two anchors and the handles are mounted on the belt by way of endless nylon straps which pass through the handles and through slots in the anchors.
The handles and straps of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,013 are shown as being permanently fixed to the belt. Thus, the straps and handles can be used only with the belt on which they are mounted.